The Museum of Future Water - Horizontal - Mono -white

The Collection



A message in a bottle from the future

Here you will find a collection of artworks, messages, speculations, samples from the future. Contributing creators were invited to imagine their region 25 years into the future, picture what water would be important in that future they visited, collect a sample and bring it home to the present.


These bottles represent those futures and their water. Each bottle has a label which explains where the water came from and why it is important. These labels have been transcribed and appear as captions. Click on each bottle to reveal the captions.

  • It's 2056, Castlemaine. Water is scarce = small bottles! The 2 bottles represent 2 parallel futures - both living a minimalist lifestyle - one is inspired by technology & manufactured water, the other inspired by how First Nations lived. Both futures we use less water, grow native plants and share/care for Country.Heidi
  • This water comes from a machine that makes new animals that will live longer in better environments Alban
  • I am 100 years old and I am in awe of the new source of water we use. Just as humans solved the problem of coal by using solar energy - we have a new way to create water we need to live. It is pure, beautiful tasting and it gives me joy when I used it. Lorraine
  • This water has been collected for native animals for their supply is becoming scarce and ours is a little recycled, a poison for them. A
  • Beach in 2050 with algae bloom. River Murray Youth Council
  • In 2050, cancer preventing natural elements are infused in household supply and a dual tap system is as common place as dual flush loos, splitting potable and recycle delivery. Kate K
  • Managing water is hard enough, without having to worry about "fake news". In 25 years we will still be having robust debates, but hopefully we can all agree on the facts. Matt from Warialda
  • This remnant sample marks a future where citizen scientists help monitor the health of Australia's Rivers. Through macroinvertebrate testing along the Murray and its tributaries, we're tracking ecological recovery - a small act today, contributing to a national effort to safeguard waterway health for tomorrow. Tom Rooney
  • "Message in a bottle" - I belong to River "Baaka" - water Country… our ancient rivers need healthy ecosystems. People are at the core of "Country"… Sand reflects river bed. "Old rivers, need old solutions"… Ash reflects a degraded silt load, choking our rivers... "Baaka"
  • This water has value well beyond what we thought it would. A changing climate has made it so previous for the quality of life for our citizens - for their food, fire and more and more for cooling and greening our urban landscapes. Stuart P
  • My home is the Goulburn River in Murchison. The water I collected is red. It runs through the rivers of our country the same way it runs through the blood in our veins - connecting us all. In 25 years we respect the rivers as the lifeblood that they are. Genevieve Lodge
  • So many livelihoods depend upon the River Murray for a variety of reasons. I hope the quality of the water never reverts back to how it was in the 1970s. Susan Levett
  • This flowering gum grows alongside a river whose personhood and life is legally recognised. Mazewanderer
  • This water source is generally used for fun and a source of income for my family. However I have concerns about the variability of the condition of the river through droughts and floods and general pollution. I have concerns about river bank erosion too. Anna Horsman
  • I was born and raised in the suburbs, where the only water we have is the storm water in our gutters, washing the bottle brushes away. The water in this bottle is representative of that, and we must treat it before it reaches our ocean. Seb Basso
  • A2.5 Stacey
  • M A1.3
  • Kris A1.4
  • A5.9 Carys
  • A2.1 Greg Pritchard
  • A4.1 Anon
  • A5.6 From the curator
  • M A1.1
  • A5.12
  • A5.13
  • CT A1.5
  • A5.8 Anon
  • A5.5 From the curator
  • A5.4 Jan Phillips
  • A5.1 From the curator
  • A4.4 T
  • A5.11 From the curator
  • A4.3 Carol Evans
  • A3.7 Bodhi Bourke
  • A5.7 From the curator
  • A3.3 Robin Pettigrew
  • A3.2 Phillipa Bolton
  • A3.1 Ian Bolton
  • A3.5 KB
  • A2.6 Quinn Sunbear
  • A3.4 John Pettigrew
  • A3.6 Bodhi Bourke
  • A2.4 Lara Wedding
  • A5.2 From the curator
  • A2.3 Shannon
  • A2.2 Stacey
  • A1.8 HMY
  • A1.7 Anon
  • A5.3 From the curator
  • A1.6 CT
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